Katherina Dalton, 1919–2004

Das NYT Magazine veröffentlicht in seiner heutigen Ausgabe einen Rückblick auf die Toten des Jahres 2004. Neben den bekannteren Namen wie Marlon Brando, Rick James, Helmut Newton und Elisabeth Kübler-Ross findet sich auf der illustren Liste auch Katherina Dalton, die „Entdeckerin“ von PMS: The Prophet of PMS.

Dalton and Greene coined the term PMS in a pivotal paper they wrote in 1953. And it was Dalton’s tireless efforts that put PMS on the map. She wrote up case studies of women brought back from the brink by progesterone therapy. She did large-scale studies that showed schoolgirls’ grades declined by 10 percent premenstrually, followed by a 20 percent increase postmenstrually. She found that half of all female suicides in England in the 50’s and 60’s occurred in the four days before menstruation, as did half of crimes committed by women. Her best-selling books were revered by readers, but the medical establishment was ambivalent about her findings. Dr. John Studd, a British contemporary, called her methods the biggest medical scandal of the 20th century. Anne Walker, a feminist psychologist, questioned whether cramps and moodiness amounted to “disease.” Still, women surged toward Dalton for help.

Eine Antwort:

  1. Katherina Dalton war auch eine Pionierin in der Diagnose und Behandlung von nachgeburtlichen Depressionen (“postpartum depression”) und hat auf diesem Gebiet Unschätzbares geleistet. Im anglo-amerikanischen Raum ist dieses Thema keineswegs ein solches Tabu wie hier in Deutschland leider immer noch, und das ist auch der Arbeit von Ms Dalton zu verdanken… May she rest in peace!